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Published on: September 11, 2011

Unnecessary irradiation to non-thoracic structures during pediatric chest radiography

Don Soboleski1, Cynthia Theriault, Amy Acker

  • 1Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Kingston General Hospital, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. daas@post.queensu.ca

Pediatric Radiology
|October 22, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric chest X-rays expose infants and young children to unnecessary radiation in non-thoracic areas. Current positioning methods should be revised to improve radiation safety for pediatric patients.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Imaging
  • Pediatric Radiology
  • Radiation Oncology

Background:

  • Infants and young children exhibit heightened sensitivity to radiation exposure.
  • Potential for adverse side effects from radiation is a significant concern in pediatric populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate if current film positioning landmarks lead to excessive radiation exposure in non-thoracic regions for pediatric and neonatal chest radiographs.
  • To identify potential improvements in radiation dose reduction strategies for pediatric imaging.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of chest radiographs from 195 pediatric patients and 149 neonates.
  • Measurement of radiation field extent to non-thoracic areas by delineating collimation boundaries.
  • Comparison of lung dimensions with the radiation field's long axis and review of radiographic reports for data utility.

Main Results:

  • Radiation exposure to non-thoracic structures increases with decreasing patient age.
  • Non-thoracic structures accounted for 43% of the chest radiograph length, receiving radiation.
  • Inclusion of the neck provided no significant data; abdominal imaging yielded significant findings in 3% of neonates.

Conclusions:

  • Current positioning techniques in pediatric and neonatal chest radiography result in avoidable radiation exposure to non-thoracic sites.
  • Development of new collimation landmarks is crucial to mitigate unnecessary radiation exposure in this vulnerable population.
Abstract

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